Historic District Façade Project Underway

SIGOURNEY – In September of 2020, the City of Sigourney was awarded a Downtown Revitalization Fund (DTR) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Iowa Economic Development Authority to fund a downtown revitalization project. The $500,000 grant is intended for improvement of the exterior facades of seven buildings from 101 W. Marion Street eastward to 119 E. Marion on the south side of Sigourney’s historic square. The grant required an investment by the City as well as the property owners and is considered the first phase of an overall town square façade improvement project for the City.

The nearly twelve-acre Sigourney public town square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 and includes Victorian Italianate and Romanesque architectural styles that were popular in the mid-nineteenth century.

Building improvements will include the restoration and repair of store fronts while maintaining their historic character. Expected enhancements include windows and entry doors, cleaning or repair of brick and cornice detailing, and replacement of non-compliance elements with historically compliant elements.

The nearby cities of Ottumwa and Oskaloosa have completed the first two phases of their downtown façade improvements through the same CDBG grant program. With the positive community response to the first two phases of improvements, both cities are planning a third phase projected to begin this year.

The first phase of the Sigourney façade improvement project is currently under review by the State Historic Preservation Office. Approval is expected by the end of March and the project will go out for bids at that time. Completion is expected by fall of 2022.